I
have been on something of a Marvel kick lately, part of my mourning
the death of these characters and the Marvel Universe as I once knew
it. I am not just referring to the recent Secret Wars
mini-series, but what I now refer to as Marvel A.B. (After Bendis).
You can point to Avengers Disassembled as the beginning of the
end for these characters. While there were certainly many enjoyable
moments after 2003, the tone and feeling made a turn for the worse,
growing from crossover to crossover to pointless, endless reboot
after reboot. Nothing matters any more. Neither continuity nor legacy
numbering nor characterization that ring true to the foundations of
these characters. If it doesn't matter, then none of it matters, and
I no longer feel compelled to follow the “All New All Different
Marvel”. Bendis has done what DC could never do: Make me hate
Marvel Comics, further cementing my conspiracy theory that he is a
double agent sent by DC to destroy Marvel from within. My Marvel
Comics Group is dead and gone.

Not
everything needs a #1 to be a jumping on point, you know. I picked it
up #19 of this title one cold rainy morning before school off of a
spinner rack at 7-11. My Mom sent me into to buy her a pack of
cigarettes and told me that I could get a comic. The cover of #19
grabbed me and that was it. Did I mention that I was eleven years
old, and that in 1984 it was a-okay for a kid to go into a store and
buy smokes as long as they said that it was for their parents? Of
course I knew who The Thing was, as I read Fantastic Four back
then, but I didn't know that The Thing was on Battleworld or that
this was part 6 of the Rocky Grimm, Space Ranger arc or
anything else that was going on. I was able to come into this series
cold and have a good idea what is going on.

#19
crossed over with Fantastic Four #274 (also released on the
newsstand in October of 1984) creating an awesome Monster Mash
indeed. Over the course of those two issues the Thing fought a
vampire, a mummy, Frankenstein's monster, and a werewolf. It doesn't
get any more badass than that, and my then-11 year old self loved it
to death. I read those issues countless times that fall and can
almost recite them word for word to this day. I also bought #22 off
of the spinner racks, likely because I had received some money from a
relative for Christmas.

Aside
from those three issues, these were all new reads to me. I bought
#24, 30, 35, and 36 off of the spinner racks when they were released,
which would be collected in a hypothetical Volume 3. One more fifteen
issue trade could finish this line, collecting issues 23-36 and West
Coast Avengers #10. This book is already three years old and it
hasn't happened yet, so the likelihood of it ever happening is slim.

The
Thing decided to stay on Battleworld following the conclusion of the
Secret Wars because he could change back and forth to his human form
of Ben Grimm at will due to the unique nature of the planet. He also
wanted to sort out his feelings for Alicia Masters. Reed Richards
(Mister Fantastic) gave him a slim card-sized device which, with the
press of a button, would transport him back to Earth. With that in
mind, Ben Grimm set off on a sort of vision quest.

Mild
30+ year old spoilers from here on out. It's kind of difficult to
touch on a lot of points in this book without tipping my hand a
little. The planet reacted to the subconscious thoughts of Ben Grimm,
pulling all of his fears and desires and twisting them into bizarre
scenarios and people. Ben faces many truths about himself, such as
why Reed Richards being the leader of the Fantastic Four is really
the best thing for them because Ben's own leadership skills are
lacking. He experiences blindness at the hands of the Reckoner,
giving him insight into Alicia Master's world and fatherhood when he
and Tarianna find an orphaned infant, albeit temporarily for both.
The biggest truth that he faces is that he is The Thing and The Thing
is him. It is this realization that makes him come to terms that all
of us face in adulthood: we are in truth our own best friend and
worst enemy in one.

All
of this heady psychoanalysis could have been painfully dull but
wasn't because it was done with plenty of action and fun, something
sorely lacking from modern Marvel Comics. See, we are supposed to be
past this, as comic books are sophisticated and mature adult art,
right? I dunno, I enjoyed this as a kid and I enjoyed reading these
issues as a forty-something. I don't need profanity or sexual
situations to feel that I am reading something “mature”. Those
things seem painfully adolescent to me, but then again I am a
dinosaur, right? Unlike modern comic creators and fans, I don't feel
that superheroes are stupid, nor do I think that the people who like
them are stupid. This Haha we are all in on the joke, aren't
superheroes stupid? mentality has ruined
comics.

John
Byrne's writing is tops, and the art team of Ron Wilson and Joe
Sinnott can't be beat. Wilson's Thing ranks up there with the best:
Kirby, Perez, and Byrne. I cannot recommend this book enough to fans
of superhero comics, fun, and life. If you hate fun or life,
there are plenty of comics being produced today that will fill that
void for you.

Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The
OCD zone-
Nothing unusual to report.

Linework
and Color restoration: Excellent and true.

Paper
stock: Matte coated stock of sufficient thickness and weight.
This is the same stock found in the softcover Marvel Masterworks
and Epic line books, and is my favorite paper stock being used
in collections today.

I faithfully followed this series as a kid, and loved it. I have this trade, and I have a hardcover version that came with the SECRET WARS BOX SET. I would KILL to see the rest of the series collected, but I doubt that'll ever happen, since (If memory serves me...) Byrne left after the Battleworld arc, and was replaced by Mike Carlin, who wrote one hell of a fun book, but isn't exactly a best-selling author. I'd love to see Marvel take a chance and finish out the series, though.

Yeah, I fought the impulse to buy the box set for a week or two, but then I saw pictures of it, and I just had to waste my money, I mean, I just had to have it. i must be nuts.

Now I really have a hankering to read the last chunk of THE THING's solo series...I remember it as being very enjoyable. Ben joined Unlimited Class Championship Wrestling, and all kinds of weird hijinks ensued...I have to dig up my old flippies....